MorphWiz-Play for PlayBook!

The app works both orientations, but it seems intended to be used in landscape mode, and it would probably be best to lock it that way. That'll prevent the screen from changing on you while you're using the tilt feature.

On most of the effects screens, you'll see the colored lines going vertically across the screen. These are obviously the notes. Just like a keyboard, they get higher as you move to the right.

Also, where you touch the line vertically affects the sound as well, and the way in which it does depends on the effect itself. For example, on "Pure N Simple" the vertical touch changes the volume of the note. On "Brain Tube", there is a type of 'harmonic distortion' on the notes, and the vertical lines determine how much the note your playing is affected by that distortion. You have to experiment to determine how the vertical range affects the notes on each effect.

The rest of the UI is pretty simple. Again, referencing "Pure N Simple", the Round Initial button 'pulls' the note you're playing into tune. So if you press near the line but not on it, the app automatically puts your note in the proper key in a gradual way. It's difficult to explain, but turning the feature on and off and pressing a single key may help you hear it.

The Lock Pitch button sets the vertical lines to each represent a single note, with no gradual change in pitch between them. In other words, even if you slide your finger across the screen, each note will definitively start when your finger passes over it, as opposed to gradually raising or lowering in pitch between notes.

The arrows at the bottom change the effect your using, which is displayed next to it, and touching the display name gives you a drop box of all the effects. The lock button saves the settings so that when you return to that effect after switching to a new one, those settings remain the same.

There is also a slider on the side of the screen, and that too is dependent on the effect your using. On "Pure N Simple", it adjusts the vibrato of the note you're playing. When you adjust it while playing a note, you'll hear the note 'wobble' more or less depending on the level on the slider. On "Brain Tube", it changes the level of harmonics associated with the note. If you increase it, you'll hear a fuller yet more distorted sound, depending on the note your playing. Again, experimenting with each effect is the best way to determine the slider's use for that effect.

Using the Scale button brings up a menu, and it's here that the genius of this app really lies. Using "Pure N Simple", the menu has two more buttons that are actually on the main screen of some of the other effects. These are Input Delay and Infinite Delay. Input Delay makes the note 'echo', and Infinite Delay makes the note 'echo' infinitely, unless you push the button again, then it will slowly fade away.

The Range is the number of octaves displayed on the screen at once, and you can have up to 6. The more octaves you have displayed, the closer together the notes will be on the screen. Also on the Scale Menu of "Pure N Simple", there is a representation of a keyboard at the top of the screen. Often on other effects, this is on the screen all the time, as are the arrows next to it. The arrows allow you to 'scroll' through different octaves, while the keyboard allows you to jump immediately to any octave.

Finally, there's the Key Selector, and this is what makes everyone sound pretty good while they're playing this. On the left, you select the key (i.e. C, C Sharp, B Flat, etc), and on the right you choose between Major, Minor, Diminished, etc. The beauty of this app is that even if you have no idea what any of that means, it doesn't matter. All you have to do is pick what sounds good to you at the time (or just leave it alone). The app does the rest. The round buttons next to Key are the steps within that scale (Perfect 1st, Minor 2nd, Major 2nd, etc.). Again, if you don't know what that means (I know I don't), it doesn't matter, because the notes that aren't a part of that key are automatically removed and greyed out. That basically allows you to wail away on the screen wherever you like, and you'll never hit a note that is off-key because it simply isn't there. Building chords is much simpler as a result, and even crazy wankery can sound pretty good. Of course, you can manually turn those steps back on by tapping the button associated with it, and you'll see that note appear on the screen.

Another fun thing about this app is the tilt function. There is a great visual and audio representation of this in the "C Blues Tilt" effect (this one also has the Octave Selector at the top). If you lay the PlayBook down flat and touch a note, there will be circle where your finger rests. If you tilt the tablet down, you'll see a 'tail' come from where you're pressing. Still, this doesn't change the sound too much, if at all. However, when you tilt the PlayBook so that the tail comes into contact with the other notes, you'll get a distinct and very cool distorted-sounding note. The amount of that distortion is controlled by the slider (which seems to be positioned for lefties on this particular effect). There are other effects that include tilt as well, and you have to experiment to find them all.

Really, this is a great app for anyone that enjoys music, whether you actually play music or not. It's fun to mess around with the effects, and with 30 included, there's no shortage of them. This really does turn your PlayBook into a synthesizer of sorts, and the creator plays it at Dream Theater concerts in front of thousands of people. It's not as robust (or expensive) as the iPad version, but it serves its casual audience without a problem. This is actually the Android version, but make no mistake, it's native and fluid as can be.

PS: Don't kill me for my weak music terminology. I'm barely a novice when it comes to music theory.

Random, but this app made me realize how crappy App World on the Playbook is. I can't think of any reason why "morph" or "morphwiz" would come up with 0 results, you have to specifically search "morphwiz-play". I did eventually find and buy it but still, wonder how many other apps are hidden due to some terrible search engine.

Random, but this app made me realize how crappy App World on the Playbook is. I can't think of any reason why "morph" or "morphwiz" would come up with 0 results, you have to specifically search "morphwiz-play". I did eventually find and buy it but still, wonder how many other apps are hidden due to some terrible search engine.

So ya, anyone who can't find it....look for morphwiz-play exactly.

The SEARCH is incredibly poor. It should be able to find strings, partial strings, partial matches either in the app's name or in the descriptive text. When folks mention an app they like I will sometimes try searching and canNOT find the app more times than not.

well to the masses Angry Birds is huge, a synthesizer is not. Please be realistic in your hate.

No hate, PB-ster. Angry Birds Space is nifty. I think in bb overplayed its hand, having already let folks know it was coming, then sending messages to insider's that a "big thing" was coming. Perhaps I don't understand the marketing and they did exactly what they intended, but I don't think so.

No hate, PB-ster. Angry Birds Space is nifty. I think in bb overplayed its hand, having already let folks know it was coming, then sending messages to insider's that a "big thing" was coming. Perhaps I don't understand the marketing and they did exactly what they intended, but I don't think so.

Have you tried this Morph yet? It's a hoot!

Well it was obviously a mistake that it made it to appworld before they wanted it to. And it was the gaming guy a RIM saying something big was coming.. Angry Birds space is arguably the biggest game on mobile devices right now so who could blame him.

Why does the PB version of MorphWiz lack SO MANY of the features the ipad version has? A fun app, but why the ipad guys & gals get so much more than PB users?!?!?!? When are we going to get all the same features with the PB version as ipad users?